1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a process for producing steel strips and sheets. In addition, the invention concerns an installation for carrying out the process.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thin slabs are defined here as cast products with a thickness of 30–130 mm and especially 40–60 mm. EP 0 808 672 A1 describes a process and installation for producing special steel or carbon steel plate from thin slabs produced by continuous casting. In this process, a strand of thin slab 40–100-mm thick is cast either from molten special steel or from molten carbon steel and divided into individual thin slabs, which are conveyed through a heating line and then continuously rolled.
Stahl und Eisen, Vol. 115, No. 9, pp. 89–99, 1995 describes results for different grades of steel processed by the generic process, which is also known as “CSP” technology. These results include the direct charging of special steels, such as the material group of stainless Cr steel with C≦0.10% and Cr≧13% and the material group of stainless CrNi steel with C≦0.10% and Cr≧17%.
JP-A-57[1982]-146,403 concerns a hot-rolling line for cast products, which originate, on the one hand, in a conventional continuous casting plant and, on the other hand, in a strip casting plant. The conventional plant is distinguished by a primary rolling stand installed in front of the finish rolling mill. In a further development of this idea, JP-A-146,404 describes the insertion of the cast products into a common rolling mill by means of a ferry, which operates as a function of the casting and rolling plan.
JP-A-57[1982]-149,007 describes the production of steels of comparatively low quality by strip casting and the rolling of these steels in a rolling mill together with steels of higher quality produced by a conventional continuous casting plant. In a further development of this idea, JP-A-57[1982]-149,008 proposes that both the products from the conventional continuous casting plant and the products from the strip casting plant be fed to a common furnace and then to a rolling mill that includes primary rolling stands and finish rolling stands.